Bridesmaid Cards

When it comes to weddings you can find everything these days. It is unreal the stuff that Steph and I come up with. Every once in a while though you find something that is a true gem. A touch of class and elegance that can be hard to find in a tulle-candysashed-wedding bells world.



The 'Be my Bridesmaid' cards ($3) from the designer at olio style strike just that cord. They are simply beautiful in an old world way and it's really a touching idea that can turn into a keepsake. I wrote my bridesmaids letters asking them to do me the honor as well as highlighting all the reasons they were so special to me. I think it's a wonderful thing to do for a friend, especially one who might be wearing a dress she loathes or can barely afford. That's a true friend!

olio style specializes in custom designed stationary and will work with you to create that perfect touch you are looking for. Check them out today they do a bit of everything including invitations!

Featured Bride Stephanie Dishes on New Developments and Bridal Stress

We've been a bit absent lately on the blog and for that we apologize. Sometimes life gets in the way and we become obsessed with the details. As any bride planning her wedding knows that can easily happen. I thought it was time to sit down and chat with Stephanie again and feature her once more. Let's see what she's been up to shall we?

Vicky: Have you mailed out those invitations yet?

Steph: They're going out today! We got them all assembled
last night.

V: Yeah! Next, is there one person who has really helped keep you
calm or level-headed throughout the process and why?

S: Mike. I think in his cluelessness about wedding
planning, he makes me realize how many details really
are unimportant, or not applicable to us. We're doing
this for us to have a great party, not to fit anyone
else's idea of what constitutes a wedding.

V: When you are about to tear out your hair and say
F' it to the whole wedding project is there something
you do that keeps you calm or motivated or that you
always do to take a break?

S: I've started a daily excercise class. It makes me too
tired to be stressed out. I also just think, we have
food, drinks, and a place to consume it all, so we've
got the basics taken care of.

V: Any other new developments?

S: Mike bought his tux. My mom's working on my dress. We
found the coolest guestbooks. We found a cake baker,
and the most delicous cake. I think we can relax for a
couple days now while we wait for RSVPs to start
coming in.

V: Fun! Lastly, do you have a secret wedding fantasy that you
think of when you get sick of your own plan?

S: Well, it would be nice if a long lost rich relative
surprised us with a destination wedding in New Zealand
or something like that.

V: I think I had a similar one like that when I got married. If only... tune in later for more news and fun stuff!

Mailing Your Invitations -- Postage Rate Increase

If you're sending invitations this spring, it's more important than ever to take a completed invitation into the Post Office to find out the exact mailing cost before buying all the stamps.

On May 14 the rate for a regular letter will increase to 41 cents.

If you're using response cards and self-stamping the envelopes, don't forget to use the new stamps if those cards will be mailed back after May 14. (Another vote for not using response cards, in my opinion. Those pennies can add up!)

But, according to CNN.com, "folks sending heavier letters -- such as wedding invitations -- will see a reduction in the price ... because the 41-cent rate is for the first ounce, but each additional ounce will cost 17 cents, down from the current 24 cents."

Also, "Shape-based pricing is also included in the new rates." That means those square envelopes, which already cost more to mail than a regular first-class envelopes, will most likely have a price change too.

If you're sending invitations internationally, take one from each country into the Post Office to find out the specific postage for each.

After you send those invitations, the last thing you want is to have them returned for insufficient postage.

A summary of some of the rate changes that may affect invitations, response cards, and save-the-date cards:
*Letters, bill payments, greeting cards: 41 cents for the first ounce, up from 39 cents
*Wedding invitation (2-ounces), 58 cents, down from 63 cents
*Postcard, 26 cents, up from 24 cents
(from CNN.com)

RSVP and Response Cards

I assumed that since I'm planning my reception--doing the seating chart, giving head count to the caterer, etc.,--the response cards would be sent to me. But my mom says they must go to her, that it just doesn't look right for the response cards to go directly to the bride. However, she lives an hour away from me, and she says she won't open any of the cards, she'll just come by every weekend with a bunch of them. If she's not even opening them, what's the point of them being sent to her?

I don’t know Vicky’s feelings about this, but I am anti-response card (which eliminates the above addressee issue). Emily Post says they are not in good taste. However, recent editions of Emily Post on Weddings concede that they may be justified because, “Unfortunately many people today do not bother to answer a wedding invitation promptly.” (The sentence actually ends with “by hand,” but I’ll get to that in a moment.)

I will lead the charge against using response cards. They are cold and impersonal. In general, we are a society that chooses convenience over meaning. While it may be too much to expect hand-written notes in response, a phone call or even an email is more personal than a checkmark on a pre-printed card. It’s a great icebreaker for opening up communication with family members or old friends you maybe haven’t heard from in a while. It lets your invitee give heart-felt regrets if he can’t attend. If you are having a large wedding, you won’t be able to spend a lot of time with each guest during the reception, so spending a few moments talking with them beforehand will make them feel even more welcome.

If you are on a strict budget they are an additional expense, because not only are you buying the cards and envelopes (and paying for them to be printed), it’s expected that you include postage on the envelope. Those costs add up. Are there other elements of your wedding that had to be changed or removed because of the budget? Eliminate those cards and get back something you really wanted.

They are not eco-friendly. More paper means more trees being cut and more trash being produced.

Eliminating response cards demands that we also become better guests. You can start leading by example the next time you are invited to any event by responding immediately to the host. People will notice how you respect them and their event and will do the same for you when your wedding invitation arrives. Having a party is not one-sided. The guests must respect the host and vice-versa.

Unfortunately, even if you do include response cards with your invitations, there will always be some people who will not RSVP. That’s just life. Some of their reasons will be justified (falling into a coma the same day the invitation arrives) and some of their reasons won’t be (laziness). I can’t find Emily’s opinion on if it’s okay to contact those people for an answer. TheKnot.com says it’s okay to contact them because you must provide an accurate headcount to the caterer. I find that The Knot gives us too much license to be bridezillas and that most caterers are prepared to handle a few extra or a few less guests. (I guess I’m leaning toward not contacting the no-responders, but we’ll see what happens when I’m actually in that spot.)

So, if, after all that, you still insist on using response cards, have them sent to whomever needs the guest list for the headcount and making the seating chart. That’s just logic. If it’s a question of your mom feeling left out, let her be the word-of-mouth contact person for gift registries and other similar information.